innovative buildings klosterenga oslo, norway

8/6/2019 Innovative Buildings Klosterenga Oslo, Norway

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Important Facts

Owner

Boligbyggelag USBL, a co-operative housingassociation.

Design Team

Architects: Gasa Architects AS andArchitekskap AS HVAC: Erichsen &

Horgen AS Solar System: SolarNor AS

Site area

1,300 m2 (13,993 sq. ft.) (each unit — 75 m2

[807 sq. ft.])

Energy Sources

Heating: The building is or iented east-west

for optimal solar radiation. The southernfacade includes a double-glazed buffer zone

for passive solar heat gain and for preheating

of ventilation air. The rooftop solar hot water system provides all of the energy required

for space heating and for domestic hotwater use.

Electricity: Most (99.3%) of Oslo’s electricity is generated by hydropower; during cold

periods when hydropower is in shorter supply,

however, electricity is imported from abroad1.

Building Costs / Financing

Building Costs: Total Cost — $5M Cdn

($3,887 Cdn/m2)2. This is approximately 15%-20% higher than the reference building

at a nearby site3, with paybacks for individualbuilding components ranging from 15–20 years.

Financing: The project was supported by theEuropean Commission’s European Housing

Ecology Network, the Housing Bank of

Norway, the Research Council of Norway, the City of Oslo, E-CO Smart Norway and

the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate.

Energy Goals

104 kWh/m2 annual energy consumption.Average consumption after one year was

–127 kWh/m2.4

Status

Planning began at the end of 1995 and the

project was completed in 1999-2000.

Summary

Klosterenga, a 35-unit residential apartment building locatedin Oslo, Norway, demonstrates how well-thought-out building

design coupled with a wide range of energy-and

water-conserving features can reduce energy and water use.

With a high thermal mass and a combination active/passive

solar system, Klosterenga uses less energy than a building of a

comparable size and also includes on-site greywater

purification, radiant flooring and water-conserving fixtures.

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Klosterenga—Oslo, Norway

1 Environmental and Sustainability Profile for Oslo 2003.

2 Klosterenga Ecological Housing.

http://www2.arkitektur.no/page/ECOARK_detalj/ECOARK_prosjekter_energi/10056/57484.html

3 European Green Building Forum. Catalogue of Best Practice Examples. April 2001.http://www.egbf.org/PDFs/klosterenga.pdf Centre for Analysis and Dissemination of DemonstratedEnergy Technologies (CADDET). Technical Brochure No. 170. Housing Co-Operative with anEcological Profile. http://www.caddet.org/public/uploads/pdfs/Brochure/No170.pdf

4 According to CMHC’s Household Guide to Water Efficiency (2000), average daily water

consumption in Canada is approximately 326 litres per person, or 118,990 litres per person per year.



Background

Boligbyggelag USBL (USBL), aco-operative housing associationestablished in 1948, began building theKlosterenga eco-housing development in

1999 as part of an urban housingrevitalization project launched by the City of Oslo. USBL manages approximately 170 housing co-operatives.

Klosterenga is situated in one of theoldest parts of Oslo—an area known asGamlebyen (Old Town). Remnants of Viking settlements dating back to AD900 can still be found in the area. Formany years, Old Town suffered frommany of the common inner-city problems associated with urban centres,such as noise pollution and poor airquality due to heavy traffic. The city therefore decided to launch a renewalproject during the mid-1980s torenovate older buildings for betterenergy efficiency and to reduce theamount of car and railway traffic andpollution.

The Klosterenga building was a formergreyfield site and planning for thebuilding began in 1995. The design

team had several goals:

I Achieve an annual energy consumption of 104 kWh/m2.

I Use life cycle cost analysis whenselecting construction materials andmethods.

I Have limited environmental impactduring and after construction.

I Increase the extent and quality of thenatural area on the site.

In addition to the support received by theorganizations listed above, Klosterenga alsoreceived support from the EuropeanUnion’s SHINE program (Solar Housingthrough Innovation from the NaturalEnvironment).

Design Process/ ConstructionMaterials

Together with USBL, three otherorganizations were involved in thedesign process: Gasa Architects AS and

Arkitekskap AS (architectural firms), andSolarNor AS (solar system supplier).

The design team used well-known andestablished technology and allcomponents used were already available

in the marketplace. Subcontractors werenot as familiar with solar energy systems

and the team spent approximately sixmonths working with the contractors toeducate them about these systems.

Building design

The overall building was designed sothat its inner courtyard was protectedfrom pollution sources, such as traffic,and the building itself was oriented totake advantage of the maximum amountof solar energy and the lowest amount ofcold air movement.

The north wall, for example, is a load-bearing, double-skin construction inbrick with 200 mm (8 in.) of glass wool

insulation to minimize heat loss(building regulations required at least150 mm (6 in.) insulation). The

2 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Innovative Buildings: Klosterenga—Oslo, Norway

The interior courtyard is protected from wind,traffic noise and pollution. Photo courtesy of Gasa

Architects.

Klosterenga’s triple-glazed southern facade. Graphic courtesy of Gasa Architects.

7. Facade spring/autumn 8. Facade summer 9. Facade winter



architects noted that, although this is anold style of construction, it is not oftenused today and most residentialbuildings feature wooden facadesinstead. The double-skin construction

resulted in a “breathing wall” that notonly added thermal mass to the buildingand regulated temperature and humidity variations, but also eliminated the needfor a vapour barrier.

Interior walls to the north, east and west were constructed of unrendered brick and partitions were constructed of plasterboard on steel framing with low-or zero-VOC finishes. Floor finishesconsisted of linoleum, ceramic tile and

wooden parquet.

The southern facade is triple-glazed andcomprises an outer, double-glazed, low-eglass wall and an inner, single-glazed,

wood-framed glass wall with a 300 mmgap (11.8 in.) in between. This gapallows incoming air to be pre-heated,improving thermal comfort in the livingareas. A heat pump also recovers heatfrom the ventilation air. Windows alongthe south wall can be manually openedto the inside in cold weather to receivethe pre-heated air, or to the outside

during warm weather when excess solarheat could overheat the apartment.

Each apartment was designed by zone,depending on the needs of particularrooms. For example, rooms that needstable heating, such as bathrooms, werelocated in the middle of the unit, whilerooms requiring less heat, such asbedrooms, were located on the northside of the building. Most of the livingareas—family rooms, kitchens, etc.—

were sectioned into a variable

temperature zone located on the southof the building.

Construction materials

Most of the construction materials used were produced in Norway and wereselected based on their energy efficiency and recyclability at the end of thebuilding’s lifespan (e.g., bricks, steel,etc.). Although all finishes chosen werelow-VOC, because the majority of theexterior and interior walls are brick, thiseliminated much of the need forpainting or other finishing treatments.

During construction all material waste was also sorted for recycling, which inturn reduced the cost for waste delivery.

Solar Energy Systems

The building was designed with a

building envelope that acts as a solarcollector to maximize passive solarenergy gain. A “combisystem” activesolar hot water system was also suppliedto supply both space heating anddomestic hot water demands.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 3


Living areas were constructed along the southern wall. Here, the outer and interior glass walls show how the interior windows can be manually opened or closed depending on the outside temperature. Photo courtesy of GASA Architects

Project Data (collected in 2000)

Insulation Area (m2) U-Value (W/m2K) / R-Value

Ground floor 500 0.22 / R 4.5

Roof 500 0.15 / R 6.6

External wall 880 0.22 / R 4.5

Window area 945 1.4 / R 0.7

The standard building requirement for windows and doors in Norway is a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K.



4 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation


Active Solar Hot WaterSystem

The roof was outfitted with 80 solarpanels (218 m2 [2,346 sq. ft.] active area,245 m2 [2,637 sq.ft.]gross area) at a 30-degree angle. The collectors are used to

heat water which is stored in six storagetanks (total heat storage 6 m3[212 cu.ft.])under the roof on the 7th floor. Onaverage, the collectors provide 80,000kWh of heat per year.

The solar collector consists of two-twin- wall absorber sheets made of hightemperature- resistant plastic fixed onto analuminum frame. The cover shield allowslight to pass through but isolates the solarenergy collected from heat loss throughradiation and convection.

Solar radiation is converted to heat in theabsorber sheets. Water trickles through thechannel structure and absorbs the heat,and the water is then pumped to sixdomestic hot water storage tanks.

The six tanks provide domestic hot water(DHW) to the building. This pre-heated

water is transferred to two external DHW tanks and the hot water in the tanks ismixed with cold water to obtain a delivery temperature of between 45ºC (113ºF) and

50ºC(122ºF). The domestic hot water canbe heated during the day by the solarenergy system or during the night by taking advantage of low-cost night tariffsfor electricity.

Space heating is provided by a second setof space heating water storage tanks (6.5m3). A thermostat-driven pump transferssolar heated water from the domestic hot

water storage tanks to the space-heating water storage tanks when the temperatureof the domestic hot water exceeds the

temperature of the water stored in thespace heating storage tanks. Two electricheaters in the space-heating storage tankssupply any necessary auxilliary energy.

The hot water fromthe space-heatingstorage tanks is thenused in a low-temperature subfloor

radiant heating system.The water temperatureis limited to 40ºC(106ºF) in order toprotect the floorheating system. Whenoutdoor temperaturesare colder, a dynamicthermostat functioncompensates for higherspace heating demandby increasing the heat

store temperature.Passive System

The southern side of the building features adouble-glazed glassfacade, 30 cm (12 in.)in depth, coupled with an

interior glass wall (temperatures withinthe double glazing can vary from below 5°C [41ºF] to almost 50 °C [122ºF]).The glass wall system not only providesadditional insulation and passive solargains to pre-heat incoming ventilationair, but also allows for maximumdaylighting. The interior windows can beopened or closed manually, and residentscan also lower or raise Venetian blindsthat are mounted in the air spacebetween the two glazing sections.

Water

Several water conservation techniques were used in Klosterenga, including water-conserving indoor fixtures, anon-site greywater purification system,rainwater collection and partial green roofs.

Water conserving fixtures and

rainwater capture

Each apartment is equipped with low-flow faucets and showerheads, front-loading

washing machines and 4L (1 gal.) toilets.Greywater from kitchens, baths andlaundry is pumped to a treatment systemfor reuse (see next page). Water meteringat Klosterenga during the first year showedthat the annual consumption of potable

water was about 45,500 L (12,019 gal.)per person, less than half the Canadianper capita annual consumption of water.5

Each apartment also has a dual waste-pipesystem. Toilet waste is pumped directly tothe municipal sewage system while greywater

is pumped to the greywater filtration systemin the courtyard (see below).

Rainwater is also captured in rain barrels andused in the garden.

Eighty solar panels were installed on the Klosterenga roof. Solar energy is stored in storage tanks under the roof on the 7th floor. Photo courtesy of GASA Architects.

5 Tor Helge Dokka. Low Energy Buildings in Norway. Centre for Renewable Energy. Accessed at:

http://www.dtu.dk/upload/centre/lave/30-11-2006%20konference/norwegian%20low%20energy%20buildings.pdf



Greywater purification

In the courtyard of Klosterenga, acombined biological filter/constructed

wetland system treats the greywater, which is then reused for landscaping(irrigation), in-house use andgroundwater recharge.

Greywater is first pumped to a septictank buried beneath the courtyard. It isthen pumped to a vertical downflow single-pass aerobic biofilter, then througha porous subsurface filter for irrigation.

The effluent from the pond willeventually be discharged to a local stream

once it is reopened; currently, the wateris discharged to the stormwater sewersystem.

Green roofs

The roofs of storage rooms and waste/recycling collection sheds werecovered with sedum plants. Sedumplants are typically used for green roofsbecause of their low-growing anddrought-tolerant characteristics and thefact that they thrive in a shallow-growing

medium. The green roofs help to reducestormwater runoff.

Waste management

No specific goals were set for residential

waste management (e.g., wastereduction, recycling, etc.). However, allorganic waste produced by the residentsis composted in an on-site compostingreactor (housed in the recycling shed)and the compost is used in thelandscaping. Each apartment also hasfour built-in containers for differentfractions of recyclable materials.

Residents / SustainableTransportation

Boligbyggelag USBL and the architectsheld a meeting for all new residents toeducate them about the environmentalfeatures of the building. A simple user’shandbook was created for residents,

which provides tips on reducing energy and water.

Because the building is situated near thecity centre, Klosterenga residents haveconvenient access to the city’s publictransportation system. In addition,

extensive bicycle parking and coveredbicycle sheds are provided on-site.

Results

Energy use for a building of this type

and size is normally between 150–180kWh/m2/yr. The design team’s goal wasto achieve an energy use of approximately 104 kWh/m2/yr6. Monitoring during thefirst full year after the building wascompleted, however, showed energy useto be about 127 kWh/m2/yr. Thedifference was attributed to three things:

1. Poor technical performance of thesolar collectors during the first year,

which occasionally took the solarcollectors out of operation. Certain

elements in the collectors needed tobe replaced within the first year of operation.

2. Some residents exceeding the averageestimated energy use. During the firstyear, most apartments averaged 4,000kWh/yr in energy use, while threeapartments used 22,000 kWh/yr.

3. Actual indoor temperatures beingmaintained at higher temperaturesthan the 20ºC (68ºF) estimated

baseline, which increased spaceheating energy consumption.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 5


All greywater is purified on-site. Some water is reused in landscaping, but most is discharged to the stormwater system; eventually, the greywater will be discharged to a local stream. (Note that the number of apartments is incorrectly listed in the photograph as 33). Graphics courtesy of GASA Architects.

6 Housing Prices Shoot Up Again. Aftenposten, News from Norway. May 21, 2008. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/business/article1620736.ece.




When these deviations were corrected,the actual consumption was found to be102 kWh/yr, slightly lower than theoriginal goal. All monitoring took placebetween 2001 and 2002. As of May 2008, the architects reported that therehad been no substantial changes inconsumption since the initialmonitoring.

The municipality of Oslo also benefitedfrom the example provided by Klosterenga. The city used the buildingas a model when a state hospital wasmoved and the site was transformed intoa 680-unit housing area known asPilestredet Park. The two architectural

firms involved in Klosterenga were hiredto prepare a portion of the design for thenew housing area.

Financial

The total cost for the building wasapproximately $5M Cdn, or about15%-20% higher than the reference

building at a nearby site. The projectreceived grants from six different sources(the European Commission’s EuropeanHousing Ecology Network, the HousingBank of Norway, the Research Councilof Norway, the City of Oslo, E-COSmart Norway, and the Norwegian

Water Resources and Energy Directorate), which covered 50% of theadded cost. USBL covered 37% of theadded cost, while buyers covered theremaining 13%.

When Klosterenga was first built, theaverage unit sale price was about$244,000 Cdn (1,240,000 Norway Kroner [NOK], or about $3,250 Cdnper square meter). Since then, real estateprices in Oslo have skyrocketed, withthe average price for flats in the city averaging about $7,500 per square meter.

The average annual energy bill for asimilar-sized apartment in Oslo is justunder $2,000 Cdn (about 10,000NOK). Yearly energy bills for theKlosterenga apartments have averaged$1,200 Cdn (6,000 NOK), a 60%reduction in energy costs.

Evaluation

Evaluations by third parties have beenperformed of individual aspects of Klosterenga and links to these

evaluations and case studies are listedin the Sources section below.

USBL has not conducted any follow up with residents to determine behaviourchanges, or emission or energy/wateruse reductions.

Covered bicycle parking is featured in the photo above. Photo courtesy of GASA Architects.

Contacts

Mr. Roral VikenBoligbyggelag USBL

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.usbl.no

Mr. Per MonsenGasa Architects ASE-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.gasa.no

Although this information product reflects housing experts’ current knowledge, it is provided for general information purposes only. Any reliance

or action taken based on the information, materials and techniques described are the responsibility of the user. Readers are advised to consult

appropriate professional resources to determine what is safe and suitable in their particular case. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

assumes no responsibility for any consequence arising from use of the information, materials and techniques described. 6 6 3 5 6

©2009, Canada Mortgage and Housing CorporationPrinted in CanadaProduced by CMHC 25-03-09Revised: 2007, 2008, 2009

innovative buildings klosterenga oslo, norway

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